Gary Fallesen / Wednesday, July 20, 2011 / Categories: Mission: Peru 2011, Trip Report Trip Report: Peru Teaching and preaching without hindrance Background Peru is located on South America’s West Coast, bordering Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. Our trip began in Lima and took us to the city of Huaraz, located near Nevado Huascaran (the highest mountain in Peru and second highest in South America). Huaraz is a city of 48,500, situated more than 10,100 feet above sea level. Most of this city has been built in the past 40 years. Only 10 percent of the buildings in this city survived a 1970 earthquake, which killed half of the 30,000 people who were living there at the time. What can be found in Peru? Huascaran with a Catholic church being built in the foreground. Beautiful mountains: There are 22 peaks here above 6,000 meters (which is 19,685 feet and up) in the Cordillera Blanca, where — it has been said — “superlatives crash and burn.” This is the highest range of mountains outside the Himalayas. Catholicism: According to the 2007 census, 81.3 percent of the country’s population of 29.2 million is Roman Catholic. Evangelicals make up 12.5 percent of the population. There is a Catholic church either standing or being constructed in many of the villages. But there is some question about what is believed in these churches. C4C Peru: This was formed while our short-term team was there in May 2011. But it began as far back as November 2006. That's when Jaime Servat joined Climbing For Christ. Jaime has an incredible heart for the Lord. He waited for more than 4½ years for us to send a short-term mission team to work with him. But he didn’t wait idly. Jaime is a full-time evangelist. He stops going from village to village, country to country in South America only long enough to work a job and make enough money to go back out and preach the Gospel. Mission moments What happened during Mission: Peru were truly Acts 28:31 moments: we went out and preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ “boldly and without hindrance.” Many heard and some prayed to accept Jesus into their hearts and lives. Tracts and Bibles were distributed. We also got to worship — sometimes by the light of the moon. More than 60 people attended worship at the “church in a field” in the village of Chalhua. Worship had to be moved outdoors because the house church that hosted us was not big enough for two dozen people, let alone three times that many worshipers. Pastor Isabel heads up that church in Chalhua. Two years ago, she started it, easing the burden of walking 1½ hours to nearby Yanama. Twenty-two people call this their home church — literally. Pastor Isabel asked Climbing For Christ if we could help them build a church in the field next-door to her house. We have promised to pray about it — and are doing so. She made this request just before we went out and evangelized in that dirt-poor mountain village sitting at 11,900 feet. Gary declared: “Let’s go bring in so many people that you need a new church.” Mission accomplished! Chalhua is fertile soil. The harvest will be plentiful there. So there is a real need for a church in that vacant field. It would cost us about $8,000 to build it. The work in Peru didn't stop when the Rowley brothers and the Fallesen men returned to the States. During this short-term mission, C4C Peru officially took shape with Jaime and mountain guide Edwin Milla being anointed to serve as coordinators of Climbing For Christ’s newest chapter. Climbing For Christ is supporting this work — financially and prayerfully. Jaime is C4C’s missionary to Peru and we are providing him with $200 a month. Edwin is our sponsored climber and we are blessing him with climbing gear and equipment. There are many villages for these two brothers in Christ and our other members of C4C Peru to survey — and possibly many villages to reach with the Gospel. As Jesus said in John 17:3, “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Amen. Sunday, July 17 Setting a record Print 2757 Gary FallesenGary Fallesen Other posts by Gary Fallesen Contact author